Raphael Stevens

Amid a busy getaway travel day for the Memorial Day weekend and the first holiday since coronavirus pandemic restrictions have been relaxed, a crowd of travelers wait in line to check in for their flights at LAX at Delta Airlines, Terminal 2 at LAX Friday, May 28, 2021.Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times | Getty ImagesThe Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2 million people at U.S. airports on Sunday, the highest number since before Covid-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020.The increase is welcome news for airlines, hotels and other travel businesses that were devastated by the virus, travel restrictions and quarantines.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsThe TSA screened nearly 2.1 million people on Sunday the most since March 7, 2020. That is still close to 545,000 fewer people compared with the same day in 2019, as business and international travel are still depressed. Airline executives have said that is improving but that it will take longer to recover than domestic leisure travel, which is fueling the rebound.The agency screened just over 2 million people on Friday, about 74% of the number that passed through TSA airport checkpoints compared with two years earlier.The increase in travelers is boosting the price of travel from airfares, to hotel rates to car rental prices. More

(L-R) President of the European Council Charles Michel, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi pose for the Leaders official welcome and family photo during the G7 Summit In Carbis Bay, on June 11, 2021 in Carbis Bay, Cornwall.Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesLONDON — A three-day meeting between the leaders of some of the world’s richest nations was nothing short of a failure, according to some economists and campaigners, who argue the group fell short of its own standards to agree on comprehensive action to tackle the climate crisis and Covid pandemic.The leaders of the G-7, a group of the world’s largest so-called advanced economies, issued a joint statement Sunday promising to enact measures on Covid vaccines, China and global corporate tax.After meeting at the English coastline resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall, the leaders promised to secure 1 billion more vaccine doses over the next 12 months either directly or via the World Health Organization’s COVAX organization.Sunday’s communique also called on China “to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.”The G-7 pledged to wipe out their contribution to the climate emergency, reaffirming their commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and vowing to eliminate most coal power. It also backed a minimum tax of at least 15% on large multinational companies to stop firms from using tax havens to avoid taxes, an initiative led by the U.S.The announcements were heralded as significant by groups including COVAX and the Confederation of British Industry, the latter of which said the summit had “reignited a belief that the international community can come together in a spirit of collaboration to tackle the big issues of our age. “But critics say the promises were not new, lacked in detail and some were plainly insufficient.”G7 leaders have utterly failed to face up to the challenges facing the world,” said Nick Dearden, director of campaign group Global Justice Now. “After a weekend of diplomacy all they have done is repeat their own inadequate climate targets and fail to meet their own inadequate targets for global vaccination.””This G7 has been a pointless exercise in grandstanding without making any substantive progress towards tackling the crises of our lifetimes. This summit proves beyond all doubt that the G7 is not fit for purpose,” Dearden said.The Group of Seven is comprised of the U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the U.S. The EU, which sends the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, also attends. Australia, India and South Korea were also invited this year.’Cracks are still there’The summit had been seen as a golden opportunity for policymakers to meet in person and agree on the necessary action to tackle some of the most pressing global issues, such as the coronavirus and climate crises.The communique did not set out a detailed country-by-country commitment or a timetable to act on the global vaccination campaign, and many of the commitments had been agreed in advance.In a note Monday, Paul Donovan, chief economist at UBS Global Wealth Management, referred to the G-7 as a “selfie summit.””The main focus of the G7 meeting (the photo opportunity) seemed to go well. The rest of the meeting expertly papered over the cracks in opinion,” he wrote.Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe,” Donovan added: “We haven’t had the same sort of direct, big impact. We have had lots of vague statements.””The cracks might not be so deep this time because of the change in leadership in the United States and the fact that the U.S. is playing a more active role, but the cracks are still there,” he said.Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists take part in the “Sound The Alarm” march during the G7 summit in Cornwall on June 11, 2021 in St Ives, Cornwall, England.Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe world’s richest countries have been sharply criticized when it comes to vaccine access amid the pandemic.Many groups have been pushing for the waiving of certain intellectual property rights on Covid vaccines and treatments, including the WHO, health experts, former world leaders and international medical charities.India and South Africa jointly submitted a proposal to the World Trade Organization in October, calling for the need for policymakers to facilitate the manufacture of Covid treatments locally and boost the global vaccination campaign.Several months on, the proposal has been stonewalled by a small number of governments — including the EU, U.K., Switzerland, Japan, Norway, Canada, Australia and Brazil.Success of COP26 ‘hangs in the balance'”We’ve heard warm words about a green Marshall Plan and ambitions to vaccinate the world, but this falls well short of what’s needed,” said Patrick Watt, director of policy, public affairs and campaigns at British charity Christian Aid.”This is a partial plan not a Marshall Plan,” Watt said, arguing the G-7 leadership failed to make real progress on aid promises, comprehensive debt relief, climate finance and “vaccine apartheid.””The success of the COP26 climate summit now hangs in the balance. There is still time for rich nations to deliver a solidarity package that tackles these interconnected crises. Without it, the COP will fail.”Policymakers are under intensifying pressure to deliver on promises made as part of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement ahead of this year’s COP26, due to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in early November. More

In this articleNVAXA woman holds a small bottle labeled with a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe in front of displayed Novavax logo in this illustration taken, October 30, 2020.Dado Ruvic | ReutersBiotech firm Novavax said Monday its Covid-19 vaccine was shown to be safe and 90.4% effective overall in a phase three clinical trial of nearly 30,000 participants across the United States and Mexico.Additionally, it said the two-dose vaccine was found to be 100% effective in preventing moderate and severe disease and 93% effective against some variants. The company said it plans to file for authorization with the Food and Drug Administration in the third quarter. The late-stage trial “confirms that NVX-CoV2373 offers an encouraging tolerability and safety profile,” Dr. Gregory Glenn, Novavax’s president of research and development, said in a press release. “These data show consistent, high levels of efficacy and reaffirm the ability of the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 amid ongoing genetic evolution of the virus.”With an abundance of vaccines already available in the United States, it’s possible that the government would donate the Novavax doses to other countries.The company’s analysis evaluated 77 confirmed Covid infections among the trial’s 29,960 participants. Novavax said 63 cases of Covid were observed in the placebo group versus 14 cases observed in the group that received its two-dose vaccine. That resulted in an estimated vaccine efficacy of 90.4%, it said.The vaccine also appeared to be well-tolerated, according to the company. The most common side effects were fatigue, headache, muscle pain and pain at the injection site, which usually lasted no more than two or three days, the company said. All Covid hospitalizations in the trial occurred in the placebo group, the company said.Novavax said the vaccine appears to be effective against some variants, including the Alpha variant, first identified in the U.K. About 65% of the cases where sequence data was available were variants of concern, the company said. If Novavax’s vaccine is authorized by the FDA, it would follow three Covid-19 shots already approved for emergency use in the U.S. from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The new data comes as federal officials say the U.S. has more than enough doses of Covid vaccines to finish vaccinating the entire American population. As of Sunday, more than 173 million Americans have had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The Biden administration has already committed to donating at least 20 million doses of Covid vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and J&J as well as 60 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which has not yet been authorized for use in the U.S.Earlier this month, the White House announced it was lifting restrictions as part of the Defense Production Act that gave the U.S. priority for vaccines developed by AstraZeneca, Sanofi and Novavax.Novavax said Monday it remains on track to reach manufacturing capacity of 100 million doses per month by the end of the third quarter and 150 million doses per month by the fourth quarter of 2021. More

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.Christophe Archambault | AFP | Getty ImagesNovak Djokovic staged another trademark comeback as he claimed his second French Open title and 19th Grand Slam overall with a five-set victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.The world No 1 once again showed his exceptional powers of recovery to defeat Greek star Tsitsipas 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 to close to within one single title of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.Tsitsipas saved a set point to win a compelling opener on a tie-break and looked to be cruising towards the title when he comfortably took the second, but Djokovic showed once again why he can never be written off, willing himself to another Grand Slam victory.Djokovic said: “The atmosphere was amazing a few days ago against Rafa and today against Stefanos. Unforgettable matches, unforgettable moments for me, for my career, for my life. I’ll definitely remember this last 48 hours for the rest of my life.”Tsitsipas won a seesaw opener after the Greek star won eight out of nine points in denying Djokovic the chance the serve out the set at 6-5 before sealing a dramatic tie-breaker under clear blue skies in Paris.Read more from Sky SportsKonta makes history with Nottingham winThe two tenors of tennis play out their own operatic classicKrejcikova adds doubles title to her singles successDjokovic’s excursions coming off an epic semi-final victory against old foe Nadal appeared to be taking its toll on him as the fifth seed, playing in his very first Grand Slam final, appeared to show no signs of nerves in running away with the second set.The Serb’s back was up against the wall, but playing in his 29th Grand Slam final, he responded in typical fashion by claiming a marathon 11-minute fourth game to break Tsitsipas’ resistance, making just four unforced errors en route to sealing the set.Tsitsipas took a medical timeout for a hip injury before the start of the fourth and he was immediately broken as 34-year-old Djokovic took over proceedings on Court Philippe Chatrier.An audacious drop shot handed Djokovic a double-break and it wasn’t long before the top seed raced through the set to send the final into a decider.Tsitsipas, who won the biggest title of his career in London when he claimed the year-end ATP Finals in 2019, appeared hampered on his backhand side as Djokovic broke for an early 2-1 lead.He had one hand on La Coupe des Mousquetaires when he held for 5-3, but despite running on fumes, Tsitsipas still had enough in the tank to make Djokovic serve it out.Under a crescendo of noise Djokovic did what he does best and play some clutch tennis to win the Roland Garros title with his second championship point after four hours and 11 minutes.Tsitsipas felt Djokovic came back a very different player after he took a bathroom break when falling two sets down.”What I learned is that no matter what, in order for the match to be finished, you have to win three sets and not two. Two sets doesn’t really mean anything. It’s still one away from winning the entire match,” said the 22-year-old from Athens.”I don’t think I changed much, I just kept the same pace. I kept the things that were working for me. He left the court after two sets to love down, and he came back to me like a different player suddenly. I don’t know. I have no idea. He played really well. He gave me no space.”Despite my loss today, I have faith in my game. I very much believe I can get to that point very soon (winning a Grand Slam). I was close today.” More

A health worker administers a dose of Covid-19 vaccine to a beneficiary, at a vaccination center, on June 10, 2021 in New Delhi, India.Sanchit Khanna | Hindustan Times | Getty ImagesIndia set an ambitious target to manufacture more than 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by December — enough to inoculate most of its massive 1.3 billion population.But authorities have to convince people to get their shots, particularly those in small towns and villages in the countryside where there’s a degree of vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine delivery and access are also challenges in rural areas due to the lack of infrastructure.There’s a considerable amount of eagerness to get inoculated in India’s urban areas where people saw the disastrous health consequences of the outbreak and want to avoid another lockdown, according to K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.”Challenge will be mostly in small towns and rural areas, both in terms of having the health system capacity to deliver and also in overcoming vaccine hesitancy and creating a demand,” he told CNBC by phone.India’s packed urban centers, including metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Pune bore the brunt of a disastrous second wave that began in February and peaked in early May.Vaccinating India’s rural populationIndia needs an efficient vaccine delivery plan will help those small towns and rural areas access vaccination centers more easily, according to Reddy. That includes setting up enough vaccination centers so that people won’t have to travel long distances to get their shots. India also needs to consider mobile vaccination units to access hard-to-reach places, including villages.”So those are innovations that will have to be probably thought of, because everybody is not going to be reporting to a vaccination center like in the cities, because it might mean a lot of inconvenience and distance to travel,” Reddy said.Many people in rural India also face a technological barrier: Registering to get vaccinated.At the moment, India has an online portal called Co-Win, where most people can schedule their appointments beforehand. Vaccination centers provide only a limited number of walk-in slots everyday, according to the Co-Win website.Reddy explained that some in the countryside may not have smartphones or access to the internet, while others who might be tech savvy may still struggle to register themselves and book vaccine appointments.”That is where the local governments would have to actually ensure that people are assisted in getting their registration done and going for the vaccination,” Reddy said.If you contain the transmission very effectively … then what is anticipated as a wave can be just a ripple rather than a tidal wave.K. Srinath Reddypresident, Public Health Foundation of IndiaHe added that it requires having an adequate number of family health-care teams and community volunteers to assist people in overcoming the technology barriers.At the same time, there needs to be continued education around vaccines to convince people to show up for their shots. This can be done through the media and via grassroots engagement including local community leaders and self-help groups, according to Reddy.Like other countries, the South Asian nation is tackling vaccine hesitancy, in part due to misinformation, fake news and rumors about the shots being spread via social messaging platforms like WhatsApp.India prepares for third waveExperts have said that vaccines are the best way forward for India, which launched its mass inoculation program in January. Since then, official data showed that only 11% of the population has received at least one vaccine dose while just 3.4% have completed the required two doses.The Indian government says it is confident that vaccine manufacturers can hit the ambitious 2 billion target by December. Others, such as the International Monetary Fund, are skeptical.India’s Covid crisisRead CNBC’s latest coverage of India’s battle with the coronavirus pandemic:WHO labels a Covid strain in India as a ‘variant of concern’ — here’s what we knowGovernment confident India will have over 2 billion vaccine doses by December, minister saysIndia’s Covid crisis exposes deep-rooted problems in public health after years of neglectIndians turn to social media for help as Covid crisis overwhelms the health-care systemReddy said India needs to prepare for a third wave of Covid-19 on three fronts.First, people have to do their part to protect themselves by wearing masks outdoors and avoiding crowded places.Second, officials need to stop potential “super spreader” events from taking place — such as crowded religious and political events that were partly blamed for India’s second wave.Finally, India needs to invest in infrastructure and its medical workforce to boost the health-care system’s ability to handle another surge in cases — that includes training a large number of frontline health workers. During the second wave, the system came under tremendous strain, partly due to years of underfunding.”If you contain the transmission very effectively, both through personal measures and by preventing ‘super spreader’ events, then what is anticipated as a wave can be just a ripple rather than a tidal wave,” Reddy said. More